Mushi-Shi (2005) s01e14 Episode Script

"Mushi-shi"
While resting in the bamboo forest,
an odd fellow approached me.
Excuse me. Are you a traveler?
Yes, I am.
Then you must be heading
down the mountain.
Yes, I'm headed west.
Just what I was hoping
Mind if I joined you?
You're lost?
Yes I can't seem to find
my way out of this bamboo forest.
You must have a terrible
sense of direction.
I've had an awful time
No one's come through in three years
Three years?
Yes. This might sound strange,
but I've been stuck here for a long time.
"Inside the Cage"
I'm originally from the village
at the foot of the mountain.
So, you're a local
It's not as though you can't see the sun,
so how can you lose your way?
I don't know how, either
I must say, though
this is a huge bamboo forest.
Damn! We're back to same place again
What's going on? The compass isn't off
We started by heading west.
But before we knew it,
we were off course
Farther and farther off course until
we went in a circle.
That's what happens You become
unable to control where you go.
What's the heck is going on?!
You've been caught, too.
Now that it's happened,
do you want to live here with us?
Hey, that's not funny.
Hm? You mean there are others?
Yes A mother and
her daughter used to live here.
Kisuke
The mother passed on,
but the daughter is now my wife.
We're childhood friends, so at least
one good thing came out of it.
I see
He's a traveler. We were just talking.
My wife, Setsu.
Ginko-san
Sorry about making you keep me company.
I'm going home now.
Want to take a break at our place?
No I'm going to try to
figure another way out.
I see
Okay, then, take care.
"Take care"?
That's odd
I made it out
Good grief
I wonder if he's all right?
You never know
Yeah
Yes?
Well, you came out from
that bamboo forest, didn't you?
Yes.
You saw a man in there, right?
Yes I wonder if
he was putting me on
Who is that man?
He was captivated by a monster
You're lucky you're okay.
A monster?
Yes There's a white bamboo
growing in there, and
Stop it You mustn't tell stories
that taint our village to outsiders.
Ginko-san!
You weren't able to get out?
I was. But there was something
I wanted to see, so I came back.
I heard in the village that there's
a white bamboo growing in this forest.
I also heard about you
and your wife a little
When you see it, what do you intend to do?
If it's within the scope of my work,
I want to ask you the details,
since it's a very rare phenomenon.
Perhaps there might be
a way to get you out of here.
If you tell me not to get involved
any further, I'll do it alone.
This way.
Besides this one, there are four others.
Hmm just as I thought,
it's a Magari-dake.
First, can you tell me
about everything that happened
in this bamboo forest?
The kids in the village
grew up hearing the story
A young married couple lived
in this bamboo forest
For many years, the couple
could not conceive a child
The husband began to spend time
away from his depressing home.
His wife was a strange woman
who talked to plants.
Eventually she began to wander about
the bamboo forest night after night.
Then one day, she said she
thought she was pregnant
The husband became suspicious of
his wife, so one night, he followed her
Then
He found his wife enthralled,
clinging to a white bamboo.
The husband was frightened
out of his wits and ran off,
but he returned home after
the villagers admonished him.
There, he found his wife carrying
a bamboo shoot as if it were a baby.
So she gave birth to a bamboo shoot?
That's what they say she said.
Couldn't she just have been
trying to annoy her husband?
In the end, her husband
ran away from the village,
so that was what we thought, as well.
Also when we actually came
to see the "bamboo child",
it looked just like an ordinary girl.
That child was Setsu.
By then, her mother had died. My sister,
my friends and I played there a lot,
thinking she might be lonely by herself.
But we did sense
something strange about Setsu.
She never ate or drank anything but water
and never left the bamboo forest.
Even so, we all still liked Setsu.
But then One day, we were
unable to leave the bamboo forest.
We went in circles through the forest,
until gradually, I lost
sight of one, then another
And then I realized I was
the only one left behind
The next day, those who made it back
to the village came looking for me,
but if they stayed with me, they were
unable to leave the bamboo forest.
Just as I thought You knew that,
and messed with me.
Sorry I wondered if
it'd happen to an outsider as well.
After that, I lived at Setsu's house.
Since my little sister
was the only relative I had,
villagers fed and took care of both of us.
My sister and I were practically
raised by everyone in the village.
Everyone was like family
It was a fine village
But after living with Setsu for a while,
visits from the villagers decreased
Are you lonely, Kisuke?
No
I'm glad to hear that.
In time, Setsu became pregnant
But
That was when Setsu's true origin
hit me for the first time
The midwife ran off back to the village
and after that, no one ever came here
You might find my story
hard to believe, though.
Well, it did surprise me.
So what is this
Magari-dake that you mentioned?
A bamboo in name only,
but it's not a plant.
Bamboos in a bamboo forest
all share the same roots.
Together, they are one, or a
family of successive generations.
Magari-dake are mushi that live off
these roots, posing as one of the family.
They grow by sucking nutrients
from the roots of the bamboo
and in turn, return elements to
the roots that make the forest green,
growing the forest and
increasing its own numbers
Your wife was born
from mushi and a human.
We mushi-shi call them oniko.
An extremely rare mazari-mono
Was it a bit of a shock?
No Not after seeing what my daughter
looked like when she was born
Regardless of what her
parents were, Setsu is Setsu.
No one in the village thinks that way
But I'm sure they'll understand
once they meet Setsu.
One day, the three of us living in
the village might even be possible
So is that why you want to
somehow get out of the forest?
Yeah
And I'm also worried
about my little sister
if she's having a hard time because of me.
I have an idea
If I connect all the points where
he abruptly changes directions,
it forms an almost perfect circle
You become unable
to control where you go.
The center of the circle is that stalk.
Is that the water that gives you life?
Yes.
Can you share some with me?
I'm sorry It's very precious water.
Mother told me never to give it to others.
Even to Kisuke?
Huh?
I gave him some just once
when we were still children.
Tell me Do you find it difficult
to be so loathed by the villagers?
Well, yes But Kisuke
and my daughter are all I need
although I feel sorry for Kisuke
because he can't leave
But that makes me happy
Sorry, but I'll take some
Just as I suspected I can't get out.
This is a problem
It's that time of the year
when the leaves fall
Mommy bamboo is feeding
her babies a meal of leaves
so that the baby bamboos can grow big
Really? Which one is the mommy?
Every one of them.
They're raising their children together.
Daddy thinks about the village
come this time of year
It's large, with lots of sunshine
A bustling village
I want to show it to you, too
It'll be okay, right?
I'm sure Kisuke won't leave
Then you found the cause?
Yes. Mushi, unlike plants,
have their own will.
They give commands to each part
of their body to carry out their will.
This mushi's body is this central stalk
and the bamboo forest around it.
And the medium that conveys
its will is this water Setsu drinks.
Regular water shows no reaction
when brought near the stalk.
Simply carrying this water around
puts one under this mushi's influence.
Of course, those who drink it, as well.
And even those who are near them.
Today sure is hot! I'm thirsty.
You can have a sip.
I doubt Setsu knew about it, though
I agree But then,
what do we do about it?
That's the problem If we could get
the water completely out of your system
Frankly, though, I can't
come up with a means.
There is one other method
But it's one I'd rather not resort to since
I don't know what other effects it'll have.
I see
I see If that's the case,
I can finally give up
So you're the one who's been
keeping Kisuke here for me
Thank you
I'm sorry
Why?
I don't think you can't do it
You're it's child a part of its body.
Just as our limbs can't
go against our brains.
Did you hear everything I said?
Because of me, Kisuke
But Kisuke wasn't unhappy.
Kisuke made a woman like me happy.
But I took his village away from him
Kisuke even said Regardless of
what my parents were, I am me!
That's enough!
Setsu! Where could she have gone?
The village!
Hello! It's me! Kisuke!
I was finally able to get out!
Big Brother?
Yes, it's me. Have you been well?
Is that that child?
Yes.
Go back.
Hear me out!
Don't come down to the village
with that thing.
I have a child of my own now
Don't make my child
feel miserable like I did
Where's Mommy?
Yeah Let's go home.
For a while, the three of them
lived happily together.
But then, six months later,
when I returned to see the effects
of cutting down the parent stalk
Not a single Magari-dake
It's you
After that, the white bamboo
wilted and died one after the other
Their lives depended on that water
They suffered greatly
By the time I buried them here,
they became weak like dead trees.
Setsu shouldn't have done what she did
That was Setsu's parent
I made her do it Because I
could never give up the village
It's already that time of year again
A white bamboo when did it?
Babies crying
It's coming from
the direction of their graves
"Inside The Cage"
"Inside The Cage"
Pretense of spring.
"Pretense of Spring"
Pretense of spring.
"Pretense of Spring"